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Grammar fix

long-term plan

plan for the future

A plan that is made to achieve something important over a long period of time, usually months or years.

collocationB1common

Hear it in context

Notice where the phrase sounds natural.

  • Saving money for a house is part of my long-term plan.daily life
  • In my opinion, having a long-term plan is important because it helps you stay focused and motivated, especially when working towards big goals.IELTS speaking

Fix the pattern

Pattern: long-term plan (for/to do something)

WrongIt's a long term plan.

RightIt's a long-term plan.

Hyphenate before a noun — 'a long-term plan' (but 'in the long term', no hyphen).

Patternlong-term plan (for/to do something)

Use it right

Choose the version that sounds natural in speech.

Stiff We have formulated a strategy oriented toward the distant future.

Natural We've got a long-term plan.

'A long-term plan' is natural; the paraphrase is corporate.

Build natural chunks

Words that usually travel with it.

  • a long-term plan
    havein the long termgoalstrategy

Don't confuse it

A 'short-term plan' is for things you want to do soon, while a 'long-term plan' is for the distant future.

Try it in Daily Speak →